This invention relates to a device for cleaning crustaceans having slender, elongated bodies, such as shrimp and crayfish.
Crustaceans such as shrimp and crayfish are curved from head to tail with legs located along the inside of the curve. They have a relatively hard outer shell and an alimentary canal, known as the sand vein, runs along the center line of the back just inside the shell. In order to prepare shrimp or crayfish for eating, the inedible portions, which include the head, the shell and the sand vein, must be removed. One way in which this is accomplished is by first cutting off the head with a knife or other sharp edge, followed by peeling the shell from the edible body and then slitting the back of the body with a knife and scraping out the sand vein. This is a time-consuming process.
The need for a tool to accomplish the efficient cleaning of shrimp has been recognized in the art. In U.S. Pat. No. 2,552,450, an attempt to provide such a tool is made. This tool includes a body having a prong portion which is shaped to pass lengthwise through the body of a shrimp to rupture the side wall of the body of the shrimp adjacent to the passageway containing the sand vein, in order to effect removal of the sand vein. The prong portion is connected to a wedge portion which, in practice, is also inserted into the shrimp to separate the shell from the body of the shrimp by a wedging action. Other prior art devices which have been provided for cleaning crustaceans are provided with built-in cutting edges for removing the crustacean's head.
The shrimp cleaning implements heretofor available in the art are deficient for a number of reasons. To begin with, the curvature of the prong portion intended to be inserted into the crustacean has been defined by an arc having a radius which is too large. In many instances, the curvature of the crustacean is greater than that of the implement, so that the crustacean must be straightened out before the implement can be inserted.
The disposition of built-in deheading portions on prior art devices has also been inadequate. Typically, these cutting edges have been formed on the devices between the handle and prong of the devices, and such arrangement can be awkward and inefficient.
The prior art devices are deficient for other reasons as well, including their inability to effectively dislodge and provide for the removal of the sand vein and the lack of a provision for firmly grasping the device.
Accordingly, it can be appreciated that there is a need in the art for an improved tool for cleaning shrimp and the like, and this need is satisfied by the present invention. The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of prior art devices and provides a highly efficient and effective means for cleaning crustaceans.